University of Chicago Library

Guide to the Bickham Family Papers circa 1694-1975

Descriptive Summary

Special Collections Research Center
University of Chicago Library
1100 East 57th Street
Chicago, Illinois 60637 U.S.A.

Abstract:

The Bickham Family Papers include family and business correspondence and legal documents. The collection date from 1694 to 1975, the bulk is the correspondences of Martin Bickham, his son Stephan Girard Bickham, grandson Martin Bickham and great grandson Martin Hayes Bickham, from 1820 to 1939. The documents include letters between family members, business associates, evidence collected for legal battles and estate papers, including wills, deeds, leases, account books and receipts.

Information on Use

Access

The collection is open for research

Citation

When quoting material from
this collection, the preferred citation is: Bickham Family. Papers, [Box #, Folder #], Special Collections Research Center, University of Chicago Library

Biographical Note

The Bickham Family emigrated from England to Chester, Pennsylvania in the late seventeenth century. Later generations of the family owned property and continued to live in the Philadelphia region.

The Bickham family included Martin Bickham, consul to Isle de France (Mauritius) from 1816 until 1826. His son, Stephan Girard Bickham, became a well-known merchant in the Philadelphia area, while his daughter LaDorie married the Comte DuPont and had one son, Arthur DuPont. Following the deaths of Comte and Comtesse DuPont, Martin Bickham and Stephan Girard Bickham became the managers of DuPont’s inheritance in the United States.

Stephan Girard’s son, Martin Bickham, who would later lease Conestoga Farm from Arthur DuPont, was the father of sociologist and activist Martin Hayes Bickham.

Scope Note

The Bickham Family Papers include family and business correspondence, memorabilia, and legal documentation, including deeds, indenture contracts, land surveys, banking material, account and estate records.

Series I: Genealogy, includes information relating to the genealogy of the Bickham family. This series includes a family tree.

Series II: Family Correspondence, contains correspondence sent to or from Bickham family members and is arranged chronologically. Letters relate to property, business transactions and family gossip. This series spans from 1809-1975. Letters written to Martin H. Bickham span the Great Depression and include personal accounts.

Series III: Legal Disputes, includes correspondence and legal documentation of two large legal disputes involving Bickham family members. The first, the White-Larramendi v. Martin Bickham Controversy, was ongoing between 1802 and 1829, and concerned a ship owned by Martin Bickham and the loss of property on the boat. Most of the documents pertaining to this controversy are in French. The second legal dispute is the Conestoga Farm Controversy, a dispute over land inheritance after Arthur DuPont’s death. Documents date from 1859 to 1930, though most are from 1921 and 1922.

Series IV: Legal Documents and Business Correspondence, documents legal transaction and business endeavors undertaken by Bickham family members from 1694 to 1955. This series includes invoices, receipts and account books as well as legal contracts.

Series V: Notes and Ephemera. This series includes “To Let” signs, newspaper clippings, medicine and home remedies, and notes about the French Revolution written in 1848. This series includes documents from 1821-1968.

Series VI: Ledgers, includes 4 ledgers used to keep track of accounts and help with estate management in the mid-19th century

Series VII: Oversize, includes two posters. One is from the estate sale held by Ellen Bickham after her husband’s death in 1922. The other is an advertisement for a 1897 sale relating to Eugenia Bickham’s musical instrument business.

Related Resources

The following related resources are located in the Department of Special Collections:

http://www.lib.uchicago.edu/e/spcl/select.html

Martin Hayes Bickham. Papers

Subject Headings

Bickham, Martin Hayes

Bickham, Stephan Girard

Bickham & Huffman, Wholesale and Retail Grocers

E.R. McCaa, Dealer in Pianos, Organs and Musical Merchandise

INVENTORY

Series I: Genealogy

Box 1 Folder 1

Family Genealogy and Family Tree

Box 1 Folder 2

Notes from Genealogy Search

Series II: Family Correspondence

Box 1 Folder 3

Letters written by Martin Bickham, some in French, 1813-1836

Box 1 Folder 4

Journal 1830-1831 and letters to and from Martin Bickham 1815-1880

Box 1 Folder 5

Mementos, including lock of hair, 1809

Box 1 Folder 6

Martin Bickham, notes and clippings, circa 1830s

Box 1 Folder 7

Letters from Martin Bickham to his daughter and her husband the Comte DuPont, 1837-1848

Series III: Legal Disputes

This series contains documents detailing two major legal disputes: the White-Larramendi v. Martin Bickham Controversy and the Conestoga Farm Dispute. This includes legal correspondence, legal documents, and evidence from the disputes.

Box 5 Folder 11

Bickham’s account of the White- Larramendi Affair 1824

Box 5 Folder 12

Document about the White-Larramendi Controversy, written in French

Box 5 Folder 13

Document about the White-Larramendi Controversy 1818-1823, written in Spanish and French

Box 6 Folder 1

Document about the White-Larramendi Controversy, written in French with English translation (1823)

Letters by Martin Bickham about the family history on the farm 1920-1921

Box 6 Folder 16

Letters of between Martin Bickham and Comte Richemond on inheritance from Arthur DuPont 1880-1921

Box 6 Folder 17

Letters by Martin H. Bickham to his father Martin Bickham on ownership of farm 1920- August 1921

Box 6 Folder 18

Letters from Martin H. Bickham to his father Martin Bickham on ownership of farm September 1921- 1922

Box 6 Folder 19

Letters by Comte de Richemond to Martin and Martin H. Bickham 1921-1922

Box 6 Folder 20

Letters to and from Martin H. Bickham concerning the legal sale of Conestoga Farm 1920-1922

Series IV: Legal Documents and Business Correspondence

This series contains material regarding legal transactions and business endeavors undertaken by Bickham family members, arranged chronologically. This includes deeds, surveys, contracts, checks, receipts and correspondences.

Box 7 Folder 1

Legal Documents (Will, Surveys) 1694-1804

Box 7 Folder 2

Notes regarding various surveys 1714-1792

Box 7 Folder 3

Indentures and Will of Jonathan Wright 1705-1778

Box 7 Folder 4

Documents of Thomas Bickham 1737-1789

Box 7 Folder 5

Documents of Richard Bickham 1714-1762

Box 7 Folder 6

1763 Deed

Box 7 Folder 7

Martin Bickham Documents Surveys 1742-1766

Box 7 Folder 8

Deed of Land between Lynford Landner and John Landner 1774

Box 7 Folder 9

Documents of Caleb Bickham 1778-1792

Box 7 Folder 10

Documents from Martin Bickham including deeds, a will, and power of attorney

Box 7 Folder 11

Invoices and Business papers of Martin Bickham, written in French 1826-1832

Box 7 Folder 12

Business Correspondence to Martin Bickham, some in French 1813-1835

Box 7 Folder 13

Late 19th century notes, letters and Market Book 1855-1856

Box 7 Folder 14

Deeds and Land Rental agreements and Letters pertaining to the land rented 1825-1844

Box 7 Folder 15

Invoices and Business Papers of Martin Bickham, especially cotton import to Philadelphia 1831-1833

Box 7 Folder 16

Invoices and Business Papers of Martin Bickham 1830-1832

Box 7 Folder 17

Account Books from Martin Bickham 1832, 1851-56

Box 7 Folder 18

Business Correspondence to Martin Bickham, some in French 1831-1846

Box 7 Folder 19

Business Correspondence to Martin Bickham 1844-45

Box 7 Folder 20

Martin Bickham’s papers relating to lawsuit with James Dehaven, tenant of DuPont Farm

Box 8 Folder 1

Anonymous Journal 1831-33

Box 8 Folder 2

Anonymous Journal 1837-39

Box 8 Folder 3

Account Books for Federal Hall Farm 1855

Box 8 Folder 4

Receipts and other financial papers of Stephan Girard Bickham and Martin Bickham relating to property held in trust for Arthur DuPont 1848-1863

Series V: Notes and Ephemera

This series contains documents that are of interest to the family but that are not correspondence. This includes “To Let” signs, newspaper clippings, information about the formation of Conestoga County, Pennsylvania and San Fernando Valley, California, medicine and home remedies, and notes pertaining to the French Revolution.

Box 11 Folder 1

Miscellaneous Documents all but one in French and unsigned, other is from Bank of Pennsylvania 1822-1828

Box 11 Folder 2

Clippings and papers about free banking 1821-41

Box 11 Folder 3

Charter and Bye Laws of the Mutual Insurance Company of Lancaster Co, PA 1843